Remnant of the Hunt
by Wernher von Braun
Summary: When his attempt to freed his mentor from the Dream failed, he was given a task from the Moon Presence itself. A new nightmare approaches a foreign land. It is his task to work with the local protectors, the Huntsmen and Huntresses, to repel back the nightmare. But a help from the Great Ones does not come without a price. A price that their heroes will have to pay.
1. From Small Things

**From Small Things**

 **Hunter's Dream**

The Old Hunter took a breath before delivering the news to the man in front of him. As he spoke, the Old Hunter couldn't help but envied the position that the man in front of him had.

"Good Hunter, you've done well. The night is near its end. Now, I will show you mercy. You will die, forget the dream, and awake under the morning sun. You will be freed…from this terrible hunter's dream…"

The Good Hunter didn't say anything in return shortly after that. He supposed that makes sense; the news must've shocked him. After all, it…

"No."

The Old Hunter stopped his thought. That…was a surprise, he had to admit. For as long as he knew the Good Hunter, he wasn't the type that would enjoy the things that he had went through.

But, it wouldn't be the first time that the Old Hunter takes the wrong conclusion.

"Dear oh dear, what was it? The hunt?" The Good Hunter shook his head. "The Blood?" Again, he shook his head. "The horrible dream?" Yet again, he shook his head. "Then…what? What makes you decide to remain in this horrible place?"

"Because _I_ want to show _you_ mercy. Gehrman, for too long, you reside in this terrible hunter's dream. I believe…it is time for you to rest."

Had he not been limited by his wheelchair, Gehrman would take a step back. Ever since his first fight with the hunters that refused his mercy, none of them refused because they want to free him.

Well, maybe. Many of them remain silence and he didn't particularly about the reason.

Being freed from the Hunter's Dream has been something that Gehrman seek for eternity. However, if he's freed from the Dream, other would have to take his place. In this case, it would be the Good Hunter.

He couldn't let that happen.

"I am sorry, Good Hunter. This burden is not one that I wish to bestow upon you." Stated Gehrman as he slowly stood up. "You must accept your death. Be freed from the night…"

The Good Hunter took out his weapons; a Saw Cleaver in his right hand and a Hunter Blunderbuss in his left hand. Neither could be said to be powerful weapon, but they could do the jobs of the Hunters.

Gehrman prepared his weapons as well; the Burial Blade, a curved sword that can be turned into scythe, and a special variant of the Hunter Blunderbuss.

"Tonight, Gehrman joins the hunt…"

* * *

 **An hour later…**

Gehrman used the Burial Blade to prevent himself from collapsing. His heavy breathes made sure that complete silence didn't occur in the hill.

In front of him, the Good Hunter was in his last strength. He has exhausted his supply of Blood Vial and Quicksilver Bullet.

It was quite unfortunate. One more attack and the Hunter would have freed Gehrman.

"I am…sorry…Gehrman…I have…failed…you…" Said the Hunter between his breath.

"You failed…none, Good Hunter. This…is something…that I inflicted…upon myself." Replied Gehrman, trying to calm the Good Hunter in his last moment.

Slowly, Gehrman approached the Hunter. He could see that he finally accepted his fate. He raised the Burial Blade and was about to swing it down…

If _it_ didn't appear without warning. Without moving his Blade, Gehrman looked towards the moon. The Hunter looked at the same direction.

"Oh, dear. What business does it want?" Asked Gehrman to no one in particular.

* * *

 **Unknown Forest**

The last of the beasts was slain. Upon seeing her weapon, she decided to discard it, seeing that it has been broken beyond repair.

Not that it would do her any good, what with being heavily wounded.

As she walked through the forest, her blood slowly but steadily dripping from her wound. At this rate, she would die due to blood loss.

" _No, I can't. My family…they're…waiting for me._ "

When she heard that howls of those beasts, she immediately suppressed her thought. It was the kind of thought that will attract creatures like them. Then, she heard a gunshot, followed by a pained howl. More howls soon followed. She noticed that they were becoming smaller. Either they were being killed or going towards the opposite direction of her.

" _A chance!_ "

She immediately sprinted towards the opposite direction of the howls. However, not even five minutes and she already fell to the ground. She tried to stand up but found out that she no longer has the strength to get back to her feet.

"I…don't want…to die…"

To be honest, she found her words highly ironic. She knew the risks that her profession would bring. But when it finally happened, she found herself not ready to face it.

Her thought was interrupted when she saw a pair of boots suddenly appeared in front of her eyes. Last thing that she knew before loosing her consciousness was the wearer of the boots picking her up.

* * *

 **Village**

The Hunter wiped his non-existing sweat as he looked at the woman that he has just rescued. The villagers have taken her to some sort of clinic where the doctors were now trying to save her life.

The Hunter took a seat at the ground near the clinic's door. He took out some kind of food and ate it as he waited for the doctors to finished their duty. While he didn't know exactly what he ate, he knew from the smell that it wasn't something dangerous to him. It was also a good thing that the merchant that sold this food accepted his coins, even excited upon seeing the "real, 100% gold."

After several minutes, someone came from the clinic with a bottle of water. He drank the content and almost emptied the bottle. From his clothing and the sweats in his forehead, the Hunter guessed that the man was one of the doctors.

"How is her condition?" Asked the Hunter suddenly as he stood up.

The doctor got surprised but nonetheless answered the question.

"She's fine. We manage to stabilize her. But with her wounds, she will need to go to the hospital in Vale."

"I see." The Hunter dropped his head.

The doctor, perhaps misunderstood the meaning of the gesture, tried to assured him.

"Worry not, young man. Vale is only an hour away from here and there's actually a Bullhead here, carrying supply. She'll make it."

"Then it's good."

As the Hunter thought about his next action, the doctor noticed the weapons that he carried. The doctor raised his eyebrows upon seeing them. They look…quite strange and primitive if he had to be blunt. Looked nothing like the weapons used by the Huntsmen and Huntresses.

Still, a weapon is a weapon. As long as it could do the job, nothing else need to be said. That's what his grandfather said.

"Excuse me, young man." The Hunter raised his head and looked at the doctor. "But your…gears make me curious. Are you a huntsman?"

Several seconds of silence fell upon both of them before the Hunter answered the question.

"Yes, I am a Hunter." He waited for the response.

"I see. Good luck with your endeavor, then."

As the doctor returned to the clinic, the Hunter couldn't help but feel surprised – and actually quite touched – by the response. Never as a hunter – except other Hunters and the Doll – common people blessed him. All of them either told him to go away or attacked him on-sight.

With that in mind, the Hunter went away from the village and continued his journey in this new land.

Or was it?

* * *

 **Years later…**

 **Hunter's Dream**

Upon the hill where a battle once occurred between two hunters trying to save each other, Gehrman and the Doll looked as the Hunter as he went towards the tombstone, intending to continue his task after getting preoccupied by another Hunt.

"Good luck, Good Hunter. May you find your worth in the waking world." Said the Doll as she prayed for him.

* * *

 **And the first chapter is done.**

 **If you have question or suggestion, feel free to tell me.**

 **Review please.**


	2. The Roaming Hunter

**The Roaming Hunter**

 **Beacon Academy, Vale**

Inside his office, Ozpin, the Headmaster of the Beacon Academy, was seeing the latest news through his scroll. After finishing the paperwork, it was only natural that he would look for some entertainment. News tend to be that for him.

His reading was interrupted when the elevator reached the floor where he was and let out the usual noise. From the elevator, a dark-haired man with rough beard wearing a gray dress shirt with a long tail, black dress pants, and black dress shoes.

"Ah, Qrow. You have arrived." Said Ozpin as he stored his scroll.

"Cut it out, Oz." Replied the man, Qrow, before he grabbed a brown envelope from his pocket and put it in Ozpin's desk. "That's all information that I managed to acquire about this…Ancient Huntsman."

Ozpin picked the envelope as Qrow took out a flask. Inside it were papers and photos; papers about rumors at taverns, eyewitnesses' accounts, photos about someone, and others.

By looking at one of the photos, Ozpin could understand why the person that he was looking for was nicknamed "Ancient Huntsman." To say the huntsman's sense of fashion was outdated could be considered one of the biggest understatement of the year. Last time Ozpin wore something like that was…centuries ago, give or take few decades.

" _If Miss Adel sees this, she will throw a fit._ " Thought Ozpin with amusement.

"So, what makes you interested in the man, Oz? Except the fact that he dwindled the Grimm population in the area where he was spotted, there's nothing interesting with this guy." Said Qrow before taking another sip from his flask.

"Normally, I would just regard him as a normal lone huntsman. However…" Ozpin stopped talking for a moment, seemed to trying to find the right word. "Call it gut feelings. I know little about him and with Vytal Festival coming in, I just need to make sure."

"Unknown variable, huh." Qrow took one last sip before closing his flask. "Welp. Gotta go. Don't tell my nieces I was here."

With that, Qrow walked back towards the elevator. Ozpin could understand why he was…grumpier than usual, considering what he did when the headmaster gave the order to find information about the Ancient Huntsman.

"How is her condition?" Asked Ozpin just before Qrow entered the elevator.

"…Same as usual." Answered Qrow before the elevator's door was closed.

Letting out a sigh, Ozpin looked at some of the papers. The Ancient Huntsman had been spotted at the villages and towns at the Four Kingdoms of Remnant. However, he was never spotted at the capital cities. Either he was that good at blending or simply never set foot there.

Something that took Ozpin's interest was how some witnesses stated that the Huntsman spoke with distinct accent. The accent was not something they were familiar with and the witnesses were from Vale, Vacuo, Atlas, and Mistral.

This could indicate that the Huntsman came from somewhere far away. Where, Ozpin didn't know for sure. He could cross out the Kingdoms and Menagerie, but that will leave him with nothing.

Another thing was the weapons used by the Ancient Huntsman. In his right hand, what appeared to be a cleaver that can be extended into a blade. In his left hand, a blunderbuss. Sure, Beacon had students with old-style weapons, like Jaune Arc of Team JNPR. But they were the odd ones.

Ozpin tried to grab the mug of coffee on his desk. Keyword being "tried" since he accidentally knocked the mug off the table and it broke when it hit the floor, spreading the hot liquid inside it.

Ozpin sighed as he stood up and went to get another mug. Hopefully, it was him being clumsy or Qrow's Semblance and not a sign of bad news.

* * *

 **Forest, Sanus**

As the Beowolf under his boot struggled to get free, the Hunter put the muzzle of his Blunderbuss right on its head. He pulled the trigger and destroyed most of the head, sending its parts all over the place.

Before he could relax, the sound of an approaching Ursa caught his attention. The Hunter calmly reload his Blunderbuss as the Grimm charged towards him. When it was only meters from him, he fired his firearm. The shot staggered the Ursa and caused him to be stopped. The Hunter immediately extended the Saw Cleaver and plugged it on the creature's head. Then he repeatedly hit the back of the Ursa until he saw a black smoke coming from its body, a sure sign that it was dead.

The Hunter folded back the Saw Cleaver and reloaded the Blunderbuss. He looked around the field, seeing corpses of various Grimm all over the place. Beowolves, Ursas, and even Deathstalker. He grimaced upon seeing the last one. Taking it out had been…tricky.

When he heard something was approaching him from behind, the Hunter turned around. He saw a Beowolf, but not just an ordinary Beowolf; an Alpha. Upon being spotted, the Grimm immediately charged towards him. He fired the Blunderbuss, but to his surprise the Alpha jumped, avoiding the bullet. He extended the Saw Cleaver and swung it towards the Alpha, but it was a little too late; while it hit the creature, the Alpha Beowolf still managed to land a hit the Hunter.

The Hunter fell to the ground. The Alpha struck again, drawing more blood from him. The Hunter let go of his Blunderbuss and hit the Grimm in the face. It staggered back and the Hunter used the chance to pick the Blunderbuss and fired at it.

Before he could kill the Alpha Beowolf, he heard the howls and roars of approaching Grimm. Not taking any chance, the Hunter took out a Bold Hunter's Mark and used it.

Seeing its prey suddenly gone, the Alpha Beowolf let out a howl of fury. It remained there for several minutes before returning to its lair.

* * *

 **Hunter's Dream**

"Yep, that should be all. Thanks for your help, little friends."

As he walked away from the Bath Messengers, the Hunter decided to check Gehrman. On his way to the workshop, he saw the Doll was sleeping in her usual place. When he arrived at the workshop, he saw that Gehrman was reading a book titled _The Dark Nature of Grimm_. Considering Gehrman was a hunter - the First Hunter in fact - and that he had nothing else to do in the Dream, it made sense that he would find an interest in the book.

The Hunter got that book as a gift after rescuing a village at…Mistral, was it? From bandit attack. By knowing more about the creatures called "Grimm" by the locals, the Hunter hoped that he could make a more effective way of fighting them.

Also, these Grimm might be related to what _it_ wanted him to do.

Seeing how preoccupied his mentor was with the book, the Hunter decided to leave him alone and approached the Doll. Shaking her shoulder lightly, the Doll woke up from her slumber.

"Ah, welcome home, Good Hunter. I must've drifted off, what is it you desire?"

"Just the usual with the echoes."

"Very well, let the echoes become your strength. Let me stand close, now shut your eyes."

* * *

 **Beacon Academy, Vale**

Inside a classroom, Team RWBY and Team JNPR were currently listening to the life story of the Professor Port. Had they known what kind of "lecture" that they would receive after causing a food fight in the mess hall, they would choose other punishment.

"…and then I shot my blunderbuss right at its mouth…"

Team RWBY was doing various thing to elevate their boredom. Ruby drew something on the paper. Weiss filed her nails. Blake read _Ninjas of Love_. Yang simply slept.

"…but when I thought it would be my end, Oobleck and Peach…"

Team JNPR didn't exactly fare more well. Jaune looked quite miserable. Pyrrha tried to look as if she was listening. Nora looked like she could explode at the drop of a pin. Ren simply stared the ceiling.

 _PIIIP PIIIP_

Upon hearing that, Ruby picked up the source of the noise; her scroll. At the same time, Port stopped his story and paid attention on the young huntress-in-training. She saw that she had a message from Ozpin. When Ruby opened it, she hoped that this wasn't bad news.

 _Meet me in my office with your team, Ms. Rose._

 _Ozpin_

Ruby closed the message and put her scroll back before asking a permission from Professor Port.

"Umm, Professor Port?"

"It's alright, Miss Rose. Ozpin already send me the notification. A shame that you'll miss my story."

"Y-Yeah, it's a shame."

With that, Team RWBY left the classroom, leaving Team JNPR to listen to Port's story.

* * *

When the door of the elevator was opened, Team RWBY walked towards Ozpin, who was waiting for them on his desk. He calmly took a sip of his coffee as the huntresses-in-training approached him nervously.

"Ah, Miss Rose, Miss, Schnee, Miss Belladonna, Miss Xiao Long. Please, take a seat." Said Ozpin calmly as he gestured at the chairs.

They took a seat on the available chairs. Ozpin took another sip of coffee before giving the explanation that they were waiting for.

"Worry not, girls. None of you is in trouble. At least, not more than you currently are." Stated Ozpin, which caused Team RWBY to let out the breath that they didn't realize to be holding. "It's about the security of the Vytal Festival."

That immediately took the interest of the huntresses-in-training. Ozpin drank half of his coffee first before continuing the explanation.

"As you know, while Atlas provided the overall security of the Festival, as the host, it's still the duty of us to ensure nothing bad happens."

"Since you're asking for us to come here, I assume it involves something that's happening outside of the wall." Suggested Blake.

"Very good, Miss Belladonna. Several minutes ago, my acquittance, a fellow huntsman, reported that the village that he visited had recently being visited by the Ancient Huntsman."

Team RWBY looked confused and started to look at each other, wandering whether others knew what their headmaster was talking about.

"Umm, Headmaster. Ancient Huntsman?" Said Yang with confused tone. "What, is he a huntsman that keeps hunting Grimm when he should've been retired?"

"Of course not, Miss Xiao Long. The Ancient Huntsman is dubbed such because of his fashion style and weapons. He wears clothing that's outdated for several centuries and his weapons…think of Mr. Arc and Prof. Port."

"So, what's the problem exactly?" Asked Ruby.

"We've no record about the Ancient Huntsman, Miss Rose. We tried to make a contact with him, but he always managed to be one step ahead of us." Ozpin finished his coffee and put his mug on the desk.

"I see. A huntsman with no record, which means we don't know whether he has a criminal record or not. And since this involves the security of the Vytal Festival, he must be near Vale." Said Weiss.

"Correct. My acquittance told me that he's heading for Forever Fall. Considering the Grimm population and the Huntsman's habit, he will be there until the population dropped significantly."

"What's the mission, sir?" Asked Ruby immediately.

"Team RWBY, you're going with me to Forever Fall and make contact with the Ancient Huntsman. Usually, I would also bring Miss Goodwitch with us. But she's really busy these days."

"Of course, Headmaster. When do we leave?"

"Two hours from now. Better start packing up."

With that, the huntresses-in-training left the office. After they left, Ozpin stood up and went to get another cup of coffee.

* * *

 **Forever Fall, Kingdom of Vale**

After fighting the Grimm in the surrounding area, the Hunter sat down on the ground and took out a piece of bread. As he ate the bread, he thought about his situation.

So far, he hadn't found anything that get him closer to his task. The huntsmen and huntresses of Remnant were well-equipped and trained in dealing with the creatures of Grimm. Though since _it_ said to him that they were going to need his help, it's likely that his task would involve the Great Ones.

He wished that was not the case. Barring settlements getting destroyed by Grimm and bandits, Remnant is a peaceful place. Far more peaceful than Yharnam. Though to be fair, that was not a hard standard to fulfill.

Still, considering his luck, it was very likely that it _would_ involve the Great Ones.

His thought was interrupted when he heard something was coming towards him. Looking at the source, he saw several Beowolves approaching his position. The Hunter put the last bite of the bread in his mouth before standing up and took out his weapons.

"Time to resume the hunt."

* * *

In the open field, the Bullhead landed Ozpin and Team RWBY. The huntresses-in-training were in their combat clothes and their weapons at hand while Ozpin still wore the same clothes and only had his signature cane. This worried Weiss though Ruby said that there was nothing to be worried about. Ozpin was the Headmaster of Beacon and Ruby believed that his cane was some kind of super-secret-weapon.

Ozpin let out a chuckle upon hearing that.

"So, how are we going to find the Ancient Huntsman?" Asked Ruby.

As if on cue, there was a sudden gunshot noise. Ozpin and Team RWBY immediately went to the source of the noise. The route that they took made them went through a lot of bushes. After travelling for several minutes, they managed to find someone.

That someone was currently fighting a pair of Beowolves and an Ursa. The Beowolves tried to decapitate him, but he managed to dodge the attack. He then aimed his blunderbuss at one of them and shot it at its head. The Beowolf's head exploded.

Upon seeing his weapons and his style of clothing, Ozpin and Team RWBY knew that they managed to find the Ancient Huntsman. Ruby aimed Crescent Rose at the Ursa, intending to help the Huntsman, but was stopped when Ozpin put his cane on her sniper rifle-scythe.

Ruby looked at the Headmaster in confusion. Ozpin simply shook his head and pointed at the Huntsman. When Ruby looked at him, she realized why Ozpin stopped her. There were many Grimm's corpses evaporating around the Huntsman, indicating that he was being attacked by larger group and managed to exterminate most of them. Furthermore, he didn't show any sign of fatigue.

Ozpin believed that the Ancient Huntsman didn't need any help and also wanting to see his skills.

The other Beowolf attacked the Huntsman, but he dodged the attack and went to its back. When he was there, he used his…saw? And delivered a strike. The Beowolf howled in pain, but the Huntsman continued his attack. He extended his saw, making it more like a blade, and struck it on its ribs. Or at least where ribs would be if Grimm has one.

Before he could even take a breath, the Ursa charged at him. The Huntsman rolled sideways. The Ursa was unable to stop and hit a tree. As the Grimm staggered, the Huntsman holstered his weapons and jumped on the Ursa's back, much to Ozpin and Team RWBY confusion. Then, he did something that they didn't expect.

The Huntsman raised his hand and punched the back of the Ursa with so much power that the first penetrated its back. The Grimm roared in pain and jumped around, trying to get him off his back. The Huntsman responded by doing the same thing with his other hand. The Ursa's roar became louder. Then, he delivered the _coup de grace_ ; he jumped from the Ursa and landed several feet near it. The Grimm slowly walked towards him but it was clear that it was dying. Then, it suddenly dropped to the ground, dead.

Ozpin and Team RWBY were shocked by what they just saw. Though Ozpin managed to hide it quite well by only having his eyes became wider than usual. Ruby unconsciously took a step back. By doing that, she stepped on a branch and broke it.

When he heard the sound, the Ancient Huntsman immediately drew his blunderbuss and shot the source of the noise. Fortunately, the shot missed and they immediately took cover behind the trees.

"Don't shoot! We're friendlies! We're humans!" Shouted Ruby, who then remembered Blake. "And a faunus."

Blake rolled her eyes as the Huntsman reloaded his Blunderbuss. He then approached them while keeping his firearm aimed at their direction. Ozpin slowly moved out of his cover and walked towards the Huntsman. Seeing that he wasn't firing, Team RWBY soon followed.

"Forgive me for that. I thought you are Grimm." Said the Huntsman as he lowered his weapons. Just as the report said, he was speaking in a weird accent.

"Don't worry. It's not the first time for me." Replied Ozpin. "My name is Ozpin. May I know your name?"

The Huntsman stayed silence for several minutes before answering the question.

"Hunter."

"Hmm?"

"Call me Hunter."

"Hunter? No last name?"

The Ancient Huntsman, Hunter, merely placed his index finger in front of his lips. Ozpin decided not to ask further.

"Well, I have many things that I want to talk about you, sir. But I am not sure this place is the…right place for the kind of conversation that I have in mind. Not barring the Grimm." Said Ozpin.

"Any idea?" Asked Hunter.

"I propose that you follow us back to Beacon Academy. There's no place safer than the academy of huntsmen and huntresses in Vale."

Hunter seemed to think about it for a while. Silence fell on the group as the situation became tense. Eventually, he nodded his head and walked towards Ozpin and Team RWBY. Soon after, they began to walk away from the almost-barely-existing corpses of Grimm.

* * *

Inside the Bullhead, Hunter looked at the scenery below him. He had to admit, his first experience of flying was a mix of fear and excitement. As he watched the scenery, Hunter realized that the girls were watching him. When he looked at them, they soon diverted their sight. Hunter turned his eyes on Ozpin when latter started to chuckle.

"It seems that they're interested in you. Though they're also anxious thanks to you clothing." Said Ozpin.

Hunter said nothing in return. He let out a sigh and pulled down the mast that covered most of his face. Thanks to that, Ozpin and Team RWBY could see his face.

Hunter, which has been dubbed as the Ancient Huntsman, turned out to be quite a young male. While he's as tall as normal adult, his young face made it hard to guess his age since he didn't look that much older than most of students in Beacon.

"So, you girls are hunters?" Asked Hunter.

"Y-Yes. Though the correct term is 'huntresses.'" Replied Ruby who got caught unprepared by the question. "I am Ruby Rose. And these are my teammates."

"Name's Weiss Schnee. Glad to meet you." Hunter bowed and upon seeing that, Weiss curtsied. At least as much as the space can offered them.

"Blake Belladonna." Blake said nothing else in return.

"Hiya! My name's Yang Xiao Long! Hopefully we can have a good time together!" Yang introduced herself quite energetically.

"And together, we're Team RWBY (Ruby)." Finished Ruby.

" _Quite narcistic to name your team after yourself._ " Thought Hunter.

"Say, you're using quite an interesting weapon back there. I know that your firearm is a blunderbuss. Prof. Port also has one, though there's an axe in the stock. But what about your…melee weapon?" Said Ruby.

"It's a Saw Cleaver. Quite a common trick weapon." Replied Hunter.

"Really? 'caused this is the first time I ever see that weapon."

"Trust her. If it's related to weapons, she will know." Added Yang.

"Then it's only common from where I come from."

The remaining journey to Beacon was filled with silence as the passengers ran out of topic to talk about.

* * *

 **Beacon Academy**

With the night closing in, the students and the staffs went to their rooms and offices respectively. Due to that, no one even saw Ozpin, Team RWBY, and Hunter going towards the Headmaster's office.

"Before we begin, would you like something to drink? Coffee? Tea?" Offered Ozpin as he took a seat.

Hunter shook his head in response. When Ozpin gave the same offer to Team RWBY, they refused as well.

"I have to admit, I am actually rather surprised that it's very easy to convince you to come to Beacon." Stated Ozpin.

"Well, it's not like you give me any choice." Said Hunter which caused the huntresses-in-training's eyes to became wide.

"Oh? I never forced you to come to the academy."

"You, a headmaster of the academy of warriors, came personally. You also bring four warriors with you. You observed my fight with the Grimm and knew that I've spent some of my energy fighting them. And I don't know anything about you."

Ozpin said nothing in return. He also didn't show any sign of reaction to Hunter's accusation. The only thing that the Headmaster did was taking another sip of his coffee.

" _Besides, if things go south, I can use the Hunter's Mark._ " Thought Hunter.

"Well, putting that aside, first I congratulate you for your contribution for the people of Remnant by dwindling the Grimm population wherever you go." Said Ozpin.

"They'll keep coming back."

"Indeed. But that doesn't negate your deeds. However, we don't know anything about your identity and you're near Vale. With the Vytal Festival coming in, we can't ignore unknown person."

"Understandable."

"It's good to hear that." Ozpin took a sip from his mug. "First, where do you come from?"

"I come from Yharnam."

"Yharnam? I never heard of that place." Said Blake.

"I don't find it surprising. When I look at the maps, I can't locate Yharnam. In fact, I am not sure if Yharnam is somewhere in the continents or isles of Remnant."

"You sure? Remnant is not simply a name of territory. It's the name of the planet as well. The planet that we lived in."

"To be honest, geography isn't exactly my strong suite. So, maybe?" Hunter shrugged to emphasis.

Ozpin observed Hunter's face. He didn't show any sign of lying. What he said was simply a matter-of-fact thing.

"Alright. Next, where did you get your training?" Asked Ozpin.

"Experience. Nothing beat given a pair of weapon – one melee and one firearm – and shoved into the jaws of beasts. Though I also received some advices from other hunters." Said Hunter.

"Do you know who those hunters are?"

"Gehrman and Eileen the Crow. I am sure you never heard of them. The names alone should already tell you."

Ozpin remained silence after hearing that. Team RWBY grew nervous as the silence continue for several minutes. Finally, Ozpin told something that none of them expected.

"Mr. Hunter, I want to offer you a chance to attend Beacon Academy."

Hunter and Team RWBY's eyes became as wide as a saucer. Weiss immediately stood up from her chair.

"You can't just do that, Professor Ozpin! There are procedures in this kind of thing!" Exclaimed Weiss.

"Umm, Weiss?" Said Ruby as she raised her hand.

"Well, yeah. But you're an exception, Ruby. Besides, you already proof yourself as good leader and have IDs. This guy on the other hand has not even a birth certificate!"

"Ms. Schnee. Take a seat." Ordered Ozpin with stern voice. Reluctantly, Weiss obeyed. "So, what's your decision, Mr. Hunter?"

"Why should I accept your offer, Sir Ozpin? As you've witnessed, I am more than capable of doing my own hunt." Replied Hunter.

"Indeed, you are, Mr. Hunter. However, the academy provides information about Grimm that you would have a hard time finding outside of the institution. We also teach the students here about history, social, and other fields. Furthermore, if you manage to graduate from Beacon, you will be given a license and will be able to find employment through the use of mission boards."

Hunter considered the option. While he had no interest in the monetary reason, with the money he could buy Dust and while he didn't use Dust for propellant, explosive is always a nice addition. He also kind of like history; a very interesting subject to him. And he would prefer not getting killed first when trying to find out about the weakness of a Grimm.

He still remembered that time when he got killed by a bunch of Elephant-like Grimm. Goliaths, if he wasn't wrong about their name. Anyway, not a pleasant experience.

On the other hand…

"While the offer is nice, I am still unsure about that. I am not the…most sociable person. And…well…I…"

For the first time, Ozpin saw Hunter's expression change. His nervousness was very readable. The moment he became nervous was when…

"Mr. Hunter, this might be personal, but how much interaction that you have with people?" Asked Ozpin.

Hunter stopped talking and started to think about it. Sure, he had interactions with other people. But he couldn't exactly call them normal, considering the circumstances. Obviously, the type of interaction that Ozpin referred to wasn't the one that you make when you need to save the day from…whatever the Great Ones were.

"I have some interactions. Admittedly, the times that I used to do that are tiny compared to the times that I used to hunt." Stated Hunter.

Ozpin let out a sigh and drank most of the content of his mug. Hunter was…very different from the huntsmen and huntresses that Ozpin ever met in many things. But there were huntsmen and huntresses that share one similarity with Hunter; so dedicated to their jobs that they didn't spend a good amount of time to socialize.

He had met many of them. Most of them didn't have happy ending, even in comparison to other huntsmen and huntresses.

Alongside huntsmen and huntresses who sold their services for disreputable purposes, the huntsmen and huntresses who dedicated their entire lives to exterminate the Grimm were some of failures that Ozpin took to the heart. Just because your job was to safeguard humanity from the Creatures of Grimm, doesn't mean you have to exclude yourself from normal lives.

Ozpin looked at Team RWBY and saw that they've various expression on their faces. But two that stood the most were sadness and pity.

"You don't need to give your answer today, Mr. Hunter. I am willing to give you time to think about the offer." Said Ozpin as he finished his coffee. "Anyway, I still need to keep an eye on you due to the upcoming Vytal Festival. Hope you could understand."

"Of course." Replied Hunter immediately.

"Good to hear." Ozpin took out his scroll and sent a message. After a few moments, Ruby's scroll pinged. "Ms. Rose, is it too much to ask for you to escort Mr. Hunter to his room?"

"None at all." Replied Ruby with in cheerful tone.

* * *

 **Several minutes later…**

"I am sorry for taking your time, Ms. Rose. I assure you that I will do my best to repay it." Said Hunter as Ruby and him went to his room.

"It's alright." Replied Ruby simply. "Jeez, the way you talk is really archaic. You make Weiss' way of talking casual."

"I am sorry for that."

"It's nothing to sorry about." Ruby waved her hand as she said that. " _Wow. He really has no idea how to talk normally, doesn't he?_ "

Ruby and Hunter stopped in front of a door. The former reached her pocket and gave the latter a key.

"Here's the key to your room. Professor Ozpin wants to give you a scroll as well. But you never use anything like this, right?" Said Ruby as her other hand held her own scroll.

"Nope. There's not even a…phone from where I come from." Replied Hunter simply.

Silence fell as Ruby tried to process what Hunter just said. Not even a phone?! Even in the villages and towns outside of the wall, phone wasn't uncommon! Just what kind of…backwater place Hunter came from?

" _I can't believe I used that word._ " Thought Ruby.

"Is there something wrong, Ms. Rose?" Asked Hunter.

"What? Oh, nothing! By the way, Ms. Rose is too formal. Just call me Ruby."

"Of course, Ms…Ruby."

"Good. Also, your room is close to mine. So, if you need something, just knock the fifth door on this side." Ruby pointed at said side. The same side where Hunter's room was.

"I understand. Good night, Ruby."

"Good night, Hunter."

Hunter unlocked the door of his room as Ruby went towards her own room.

* * *

Hunter observed his room. A simple bed and a desk with a chair. There was a door that led to bathroom. All in all, it was a simple bedroom and bathroom.

It was the nicest room that he ever had.

Hunter looked at a corner of his room. There, several Messengers appeared with a lamp. He approached the lamp and lit it. He then touched the lamp and went into the Hunter's Dream.

* * *

Inside their shared room, the members of Team RWBY were in their sleepwear and were lying in their own bed.

"So, what do you guys think about Hunter?" Asked Yang.

"What's with the question, Yang?" Asked Weiss back.

"Oh, come on, Ice Queen. Just something to talk about."

"Ugh. Fine, if only so you would stop calling me that." Weiss let out a sigh. "He's…old-fashioned. And not just in a sense of fashion, but also his way of speaking. It's archaic. I am sure if he attends one of my family's party, even the old geezers there would find him ancient and too formal."

"Heh, can see that happening. What about you, Blake?" Asked Yang.

"I don't have much to say about him. I barely know him." Replied Blake before returning to her book.

"Should have expect that. What about you, Rubes?"

For several minutes, Yang waited for the answer. However, her little sister remained silence. Curious, Yang looked at Ruby's bed and saw her currently writing something.

"Hey, what are you writing for, sis?" Asked Yang as she went to Ruby's bed.

"Oh, Yang." Replied Ruby as she just noticed her sister. "I just write a plan for our activities tomorrow. I plan to make Hunter be more…open."

Something that Ruby noticed from the moment she met Hunter was how…closed he was. Every time he spoke, it was direct, to-the-point, and archaic. It was like as if he has no idea on how to speak normally.

Perhaps he was.

In any case, that just won't do. She already figured out why Ozpin kept her team around when speaking with Hunter; he wanted him to have someone to "connect" with. It was a nice coincidence that Hunter was around their ages.

That means Hunter would be her friend. And while it might be quite hypocrite since Ruby herself was not very good with people, even she knew how to speak normally. Not like Hunter who always speak formally, to-the-point, or both.

Ruby put down her pen and looked at her plan. Yang, who was besides Ruby's bed, looked at the plan as well.

Tomorrow was going to be a fantastic day. Ruby would make sure of that.

* * *

 **And the chapter is done.**

 **If you have question or suggestion, feel free to tell me.**

 **Review please!**


	3. Walk in Vale

**Walk in Vale**

 **Hunter's Room, Beacon Academy**

After returning from the Hunter's Dream, Hunter took a sleep inside the room that has been provided for him. He managed to get several hours of sleep before sunrise. After waking up, he went towards the bathroom and took a hot shower bath. It has been a long time ever since he had a hot bath. Or any kind of bath, to be honest.

After dressing himself in Hunter Garb – this time it was capeless and he replaced his hunter hat with top hat – Hunter grabbed the weapons that he brought from the Dream; the Chikage and the Hunter Pistol. Then, he took one last look of himself at the mirror.

"Rise and – oh, Hunter! I see that you're awake!" Exclaimed Ruby who suddenly opened the door of his room. "You look different."

"Probably the top hat and lack of cape and mask, Miss – I mean, Ruby." Replied Hunter as he realized his mistake on the last second.

"Heh, right. Oh, your weapons are also different." Ruby walked closer to Hunter to take a closer look. "A katana and a gun. Still flintlock though. I don't remember you bringing anything with you when we picked you up."

"I have my way." Hunter waved his hand about that fact.

"Okay…" Ruby skeptically accept it. However, there was something more important than that. "Anyway, there's nothing better than to start the day with a delicious meal."

"I can't disagree with that notion. Shall we go to the dining room, then?"

"Of course. Also, it's called mess hall." Both Hunter and Ruby exited the former's room and went towards the mess hall.

"I see. Apologize for my mistake, Ruby."

* * *

 **Mess Hall**

Hunter was kind of surprised with the size of the mess hall. He had visited an institution of study and didn't remember that it has a mess hall as big as this. Then again, his example was the Byrgenwerth College, which would never be a good example for any institution of study.

Except perhaps in the architecture department. He had to admit the College looked astounding.

When they arrived at the food stall, Hunter was intrigued by the large amount of food and how various the food was. He decided to take a bowl of oatmeal, two pieces of bread, and a tea. Ruby, whose own tray was filled with sandwiches, cookies, and milk, looked a little bit surprised by Hunter's choices.

"That's it?" Said Ruby rather unsure.

"Yes. Did I do something wrong, Ruby?" Asked Hunter.

"No. It's just that…are you sure that would be enough for you? Huntsmen and huntresses require a lot of energy to do their job. Even when not hunting the Grimm, there are still other activities that huntsmen and huntresses do that requires similar amount of energy."

Hunter tried to say that the amount of food that he picked was enough for him. Though he stopped when he realized that Ruby used the standards of Remnant's huntsmen and huntresses that – no matter how powerful they were – were normal people. Hunter on the other hand was not someone you would consider normal. Was it possible that not requiring as many food as normal people was one of the "gifts" that he received?

Seeing the confused look that Hunter had, Ruby decided to pick up a hamburger and put it on his tray. It broke Hunter's thought and caused him to look at his tray and then Ruby.

"Just take it. I am sure you're going to need it." Stated Ruby.

"If you say so." Replied Hunter simply.

Ruby and Hunter walked towards a table. In that table, sat the rest of Team RWBY and Team JNPR. Upon seeing both of them, Nora immediately greet them with her usual style.

"RUBY! You finally here!" Said Nora with her usually loud voice.

"Hey there, Nora." Replied Ruby who then looked at Hunter. From his face, it appeared that he didn't expect that.

So much that for some reason, he had to grab back the left side of his tray. Ruby noticed that he holstered his pistol in his left side.

" _That's close._ " Thought Ruby.

Ruby looked at her friend and noticed that – while most remain oblivious – Blake also noticed the reaction.

"Umm, Rubes, is there something wrong?" Asked Yang. "Come, sit."

"Ah, right." Ruby and Hunter approached the empty chairs and sat there.

"I never see your face. Are you a new student?" Asked Jaune.

"Sort of." Replied Hunter. "I take it that you're Ruby's friend."

"I am. Name's Jaune Arc."

"I am Pyrrha Nikos." Said Pyrrha with a soft but confident tone.

"Hey there, I am Nora Valkyrie." Said Nora with her usual cheerful tone.

"Lie Ren." Said Ren simply.

"I see. Then, it's my turn. You can call me Hunter. It's good to know all of you." Said Hunter in return.

"Hunter? That's it?" Asked Jaune.

"That's it." The answer surprisingly came from Weiss. "I am also pretty sure that 'Hunter' is not your name."

"Like I said, you can call me Hunter." Replied Hunter.

"Oh, you know what, whatever. I am not dealing with this." Weiss returned to her food.

The other eight focused on their food as well. After she went through half of her meal, Ruby looked at Hunter, who was currently eating the hamburger. From his face, it was clear that he enjoyed it.

"So, Hunter?" Said Ruby, causing the man to look at her. "Have you ever visited Vale before?"

"Nope. The only big city that I ever visited is Mistral. And even then, I won't call it Mistral proper since I visited what you would call the lower levels." Explained Hunter.

"Wait, the lower levels?!" Exclaimed Pyrrha as she stood up and slammed the table. "What were you doing there?! There's a reason most people avoided that area!"

"Is there something wrong, Pyrrha?" Asked Jaune.

"Lower levels of Mistral are mostly filled with the lower classes of Mistral, which are of considerable ill-repute. From simple thugs to corrupt huntsmen and huntresses, the lower levels of Mistral are filled with these people." Explained Pyrrha who kept her eyes on Hunter.

"What?! What were you doing there?!" Jaune repeated Pyrrha's question.

"Well, as you know, there are people who hired corrupt huntsmen and huntresses to do less-than-stellar jobs, right?" Said Hunter, causing others to nodded their heads. "Imagine their surprise when the…huntsman that they hired suddenly turn against them."

"Oh, oh! I know, I know! You're a double corrupt huntsman! Basically, you pretend to be those evil corrupt huntsmen who work for nothing but money. But in reality, you're one of the noble huntsmen who want peace and justice to be upheld. It's like one of those spy movies!" Said Nora in excitement.

"Yeah…something like that, I guess." Replied Hunter with some uncertainty in his tone.

The others looked at Hunter for another few seconds before returning to their food. After that, Hunter knew that he needed to improve his social skills.

* * *

 **Vale**

After the breakfast, Ruby decided to bring Hunter and her teammates to Vale to have some fun times together. As they walked to a place that Ruby had in mind, she decided to find out more about Hunter's history.

"Hunter?" Said Ruby.

"What is it, Ruby?" Asked Hunter.

"Would you mind if we ask you about your past?" Ruby was a little worried when asking it.

"Hmm…" Hunter put his hand on his chin as he thought about it. "I guess it depends on the question."

"Right. So, can you tell us more about Y-Yharnam? Never heard of that settlement before." Ruby's question also drew the attention of her teammates.

"Alright." Hunter was silence for few seconds before answering the question. "Yharnam is a city well-known in the area to have medical remedy for diseases that no other cities possessed. Or so the tales said. In reality, Yharnam is a city ravaged by a mysterious plague, becoming infested with dangerous beasts and demented citizens."

"That's horrible." Said Blake as she tried to imagined how bad Yharnam was. "And you came from this city?"

"Indeed. But merely for the Hunt. Yharnam is not my birth place, it's merely my last location before arriving at the Four Kingdoms."

"The Hunt? You came to Yharnam for hunting?" Said Weiss.

"Correct. I came to hunt the beasts that infested Yharnam. During the Hunt, I found out about just how messed up Yharnam was even before the plague."

"Really? Like what?" Asked Ruby.

"Well, one of the examples is when I visited Arianna, the Woman of Pleasure."

"Woman of Pleasure?" Weiss gave a thought about the words before her eyes became wide. "You visited a hooker?!"

The other three huntresses-in-training's eyes became wide as well, with Ruby's face becoming red as well. Blake seemed to had some dirty thought and Yang put herself between Ruby and Hunter, looking at the latter with a threatening look.

"Indeed. But she's not ordinary hooker. Arianna doesn't offer her body, but rather her blood."

"B…Blood?" Said Blake, rather unsure if she heard it correctly.

"Yes, blood. Yharnamites find drinking blood gives them the same thrill as lovemaking."

Silence fell on the group as Team RWBY started to think about what Hunter had just said. They trembled at the thought. It was one thing to go against the Grimm. It was another thing to find pleasure in drinking blood.

The thought disappeared when the five of them reached their destination; a weapon store called "Bullseye." Weiss let out a sigh at the sight of the building.

"I should have seen this coming." Commented Weiss.

"Hey, we're not here because I want to see the latest gear in store!" Exclaimed Ruby, causing her teammates to look at her skeptically. "Well, not mostly, at least. We're to get Hunter a new weapon."

"Me?" Said Hunter in confusion. "While I…appreciate the sentiment, I have no need for new weapon, Ruby."

"No need? You use _flintlock_ , for gods' sake! Prof. Port does use a blunderbuss like you, but at least it's percussion cap! Your blunderbuss and the pistol in your holster will work very badly in rains!" Ranted Ruby.

"I don't see the problem. If it works, then it's fine." Replied Hunter. " _Besides, I doubt firearms in Remnant can be used to fire Quicksilver Bullets._ "

"Oh, alright." Ruby let out a sigh before staring at Hunter. "How about this; just consider it a 'welcome to Beacon' gift from us. Whether you used it or not is up to you."

"In that case, I am honored to receive your gift."

"Good! Let's go then!" Ruby's cheerfulness returned and she dragged Hunter into the store.

* * *

Inside the store, there were many kinds of weapons being displayed. Unlike weapons used by huntsmen and huntresses, the weapons in the store were unable to transform. Makes sense since weapons capable of transforming were created by hands to fit the fighting style of said huntsman or huntress. Thus, they need to be ordered first and not already available like the weapons in the store.

However, that didn't mean huntsmen and huntresses do not come to the store. Their weapons still have parts that were available in the store.

"So, do you find something that takes you interest?" Asked Ruby.

"I don't find any of the melee weapon interesting. So, I decided to look at the firearms. Though I recognized the…guns and rifles, there are many that I am not familiar with." Replied Hunter who kept looking at the weapons.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Something that can make the opponent stagger. Big firepower."

Ruby looked at the weapons displayed before something caught her interest. She went to a clerk and asked for the weapon. The clerk picked it and gave it to her. Ruby then showed the weapon to Hunter.

"This is a sawed-off double-barreled shotgun. Its compact size makes it easier to be handled. The two barrels give you two shots before needing to reload. And of course, it's more reliable than a flintlock and easier to be reloaded than the muzzle-loaded blunderbuss." Explained Ruby with a confident tone.

Hunter picked the shotgun from Ruby's hands and inspected it. It was well-crafted and looked brand new. He then used the shotgun as if he was using the Hunter Blunderbuss. It was only slightly heavier than the Hunter Pistol. So, perhaps using it like the pistol was more correct.

"Can I test it?" Asked Hunter to the clerk.

"Of course, young man. Just go to the firing range." Replied the clerk as he gestured at the sign that indicated the direction of the firing range.

* * *

 **Half an hour later…**

After teaching Hunter how to used the shotgun and bought it for him, Ruby and her teammates brought him to a restaurant for lunch. Hunter ordered black pudding served with boiled potatoes, cucumbers, and lingonberry jam. The difference with the normal serving was Hunter asked for more black pudding.

"You must have really like black pudding." Commented Yang who was eating a steak.

"Never taste this before, actually. But the taste is…comforting." Replied Hunter before he took another bite of his black pudding.

"Well, black pudding is made from blood. And considering where you come from…" Said Blake before returning to her smoked tuna.

"I see."

"Speaking about Yharnam, you said that you came to the city for the Hunt, right?" Asked Ruby before taking a sip of her strawberry milkshake.

"Yes. What about it?" Hunter put down his fork and knife.

"Were you the only huntsman there or were there others?"

"Some, actually." Hunter tried to remembered the hunters that he met in Yharnam. "As you know from last night in Ozpin's office, my mentor is Gehrman. There's also Eileen the Crow, the Hunter of Hunters which perhaps can be considered my second mentor."

"Hunter of Hunters? What kind of title is that?"

"It describes Eileen's job. Her task is to slay the hunters who have strayed from their paths. Kind of like huntress who specialized in slaying corrupt huntsmen and huntresses rather than the Grimm. Though to be honest, Eileen is no slouch against the beasts."

Silence once again fell onto the group after they heard another aspect of the Hunt in Yharnam.

"Umm, Hunter?" Said Weiss rather unsure. "We don't _slay_ corrupt huntsmen and huntresses. Sure, some got killed by the authority. But that's because they don't stand down. The preferred outcome is for them to be captured, dragged into a trial, and given a sentence with their licenses revoked."

"Really? Well, whatever suit you, I guess." Commented Hunter simply.

"What about other…hunters?" Asked Blake.

"Well, there's the Retired Hunter Djura."

"Wait, retired? What business does a _retired_ hunter has in a place where there's a hunt?" Asked Yang rather surprised.

"He retired after deciding to quit hunting the beasts in Yharnam. He then stayed in the old part of the city and protected the beasts there from other hunters."

"Wait, what?! What was he thinking?! Protecting the beasts?!" Exclaimed Ruby who so shocked that she almost made her milkshake fell from the table.

It was not only her. Weiss, Blake, and Yang were shocked as well. Their eyes were as wide as saucer and they couldn't believe what Hunter just said. The idea was as ridiculous as a huntsman or huntress deciding to protect the Creatures of Grimm from other huntsmen and huntresses.

"I don't understand what he was thinking as well. Fortunately, Old Yharnam is sealed. So, the beasts there couldn't anybody." Hunter shrugged.

That wasn't exactly a lie. While Hunter knew that Djura protected the beasts because he believed that they were still people, he didn't understand why Djura chose to do that. Wouldn't it be better to give them a mercy kill?

"OK, there's your mentor Gehrman, Eileen who hunted down corrupt hunters, and crazy retired hunter Djura who protected the beasts rather than the people." Said Yang as she used her fingers to count the hunters. "Any others that we should know about?"

"Hmm…" Hunter started to think about several other hunters that he knew. "Well, there's Alfred, a hunter from local church. There's also Valtr. They're basically just your-ordinary-hunters."

Hunter decided to not tell them about the…darker aspects of Alfred and Valtr. Eileen and Djura already shocked them.

"That's all?" Said Weiss with skepticism in her voice.

"They're the only ones that at least my acquaintances." Replied Hunter. " _And not the ones that met…unfortunate ends by my hands._ "

Hunter dropped his head as he remembered Father Gascoigne and Henryk. How Gascoigne fell and became the very beast that he hunted. How Henryk went to the same path and tried to kill him for killing his best friend. How his intention to help a little girl to reunite with her father and mother caused her own death and her sister as well.

Seeing Hunter's condition, the huntresses-in-training decided to stop the conversation and silently finished their meals.

* * *

 **Midnight…**

 **Ozpin's Office, Beacon Academy**

As Ozpin looked at the night sky, he heard the sound of the elevator stopping in his office. Turning around, he found out that it was Hunter who arrived.

"Ah, Mr. Hunter. Is there something that I can help you with?" Asked Ozpin before taking another sip of his coffee.

"Not really." Replied Hunter as he took a seat. "Mr. Ozpin, do you remember your offer to give me an opportunity to attend Beacon?"

"Of course, Mr. Hunter. I guess that you already have your answer."

"Indeed. I…think I'll take you offer. But I don't think I can follow the schedule. There will be times when I…need to go."

"For what purpose may I ask, Mr. Hunter?"

"Training. Getting items that can help me in my task. Hunting."

Ozpin remained silence for a few minutes. He took a big gulp of his coffee before giving his answer.

"Considering your…circumstances, I guess that's to be expected. I'll see what I can do. However, I hope that you can spend most of your time studying here." Said Ozpin.

"Thanks for your understanding, Mr. Ozpin." Replied Hunter as he stood up.

With that, Hunter went towards the elevator, leaving Ozpin to observed the night sky once again.

* * *

 **The next day…**

 **Hunter's Room, Beacon Academy**

Inside his room, Hunter was currently checking on his weapons and inventory.

After making sure the Saw Cleaver was working well, he took a look at the Chikage. Seeing that it was still sharp enough, he put it down and inspected the Hunter Blunderbuss and Pistol. Then he inspected the shotgun that Ruby bought for him yesterday.

Hunter had to admit that he was having quite a hard time familiarizing himself with the firearm. It was not muzzle-loaded, only slightly heavier than a pistol but has the firepower of blunderbuss, and other things. It was unlike the firearms that he had used during the Hunt.

Suddenly, he was interrupted by a sound. After looking around, he realized that the sound came from his scroll. Hesitantly, he picked it up and tried to see why it was pinging.

He still hasn't used with this kind of technology.

After fiddling it for a while, he finally managed to open a message. It was from Ruby

 _Hey, Hunter. I want to ask your help for something and I hope you won't mind._

 _You see, me and my team decided to do some investigation about some evil people. There's a possibility of fighting against them. Since most of our training is for Grimm rather than people, I believe your skill will be useful. After all, you sort-of-mentor is the "Hunter of Hunters," right?_

 _Anyway, if you want to know the details, just come to our room._

Hunter's eyes slowly became wide as he read the message. He gained Ruby's trust this fast? That was…surprising to say the least. Once again, it was a reminder that Remnant was vastly different from Yharnam; there were more…nice people in the former.

In any case, there was no harm in visiting them. After tidying up his room, Hunter exited his room and went towards RWBY's.

* * *

 **Answer to a review:**

 **NIGRIS:** Ruby gave a (possible) explanation in the last part of chapter 2.

* * *

 **And it's finally done.**

 **If you have question or suggestion, feel free to tell me!**

 **Review please!**


	4. Bloodied Fang

**Bloodied Fang**

 **RWBY's Room, Beacon Academy**

"Let me get this straight; all of you planned to investigate the activities of White Fang and you want me to help you?"

When he arrived at Team RWBY's room, Hunter saw that the team and who he deduced as two of their friends were waiting for him. He also noticed that the girls were wearing different clothes than usual.

He found out the reason when Ruby explained why she asked for his help.

"Well…yeah. Remember when you told us that one of your mentors is a…Hunter of Hunters?" Said Ruby nervously.

"Yes. And considering your scroll letter, you want my skills in tracking down people which I got from Eileen's skills of tracking down stray hunters." Replied Hunter as he folded his arms.

Ruby let out a nervous laugh as other people in the room looked at Hunter nervously. After thinking for a while, he let out a sigh.

"Oh, well. It's not like I have something important to do." Stated Hunter as he shrugged. "Anyway, I know White Fang is a group of extremists. But what're their crime records?"

"White Fang has been known for bombing places that discriminate against faunus, disturbing Dust delivery, assassinations of several SDC's board members, and others." Explained Weiss.

"Yep. They're basically a bunch of holier-than-thou creeps that use force to get whatever they want." Added one of the huntresses-in-training's friends, a monkey faunus.

"Why do you want to know about that?" Asked Blake who squinted her eyes, looking suspiciously at Hunter.

"Just want to know exactly what I am dealing with." Replied Hunter simply.

"Alright, it's all set then!" Said Ruby happily before she deflated. "Wait, I forgot who you should go with."

Ruby walked away from others and started mumbling about something. Hunter however managed to hear what she was saying.

"He won't be that useful with me and Weiss since we'll only visiting CCT tower. Blake and Sun will infiltrate White Fang, so it's out of question. Which means…"

"I'll go with Blake and Sun." Said Hunter suddenly, interrupting Ruby's mumbling.

"W-What?" Said Ruby surprised before she realized what he just said. "Hunter, I am not sure that will work. White Fang is, as you know, faunus-only organization. Unlike Blake and Sun, you're not one. So, you can't help them in this area."

"I'll stay in the back, being extra muscle in case something goes wrong. Trust me, the chance of the infiltration gone wrong is quite high."

"What makes you said that?" Asked Blake as she folded her arms.

"I don't know, the fact that the infiltrators are a pair of students."

Blake wanted to retort that, saying that she was a former White Fang member and thus has experience in infiltrating. However, she stopped when she realized that it wasn't a good idea and the same thing can't be said to Sun Wukong. Sure, he stowed away on a ship and stole some bananas.

" _Wait, how he managed to get away from the authority?_ " Thought Blake as she just realized that. " _I mean, I am sure there would be complaints delivered to Beacon, who then will contact Haven, who then will give him punishment._ "

Setting that thought aside and realizing that Sun might actually quite experienced in this job, there was still some problems; Blake was quite known in the White Fang, being the daughter of the previous leader. She had been seen wearing the Grimm mask, so there was quite a chance for her to get recognized. As for Sun, well there was difference between stowing away and getting away from theft with infiltrating paramilitary organization.

"I guess that's not a problem. As long as he stays out of sight, he could come with us." Stated Blake, before staring at Hunter. "Of course, not in that clothes."

"Pardon?" Said Hunter in confusion.

"She's right. Your clothes are not something people wore today, even by huntsmen and huntresses' standards. And let me explain it to you, the standards are quite colorful." Explained Weiss. "In fact, it's your clothes that make you quite notorious. Well, one of them at least."

Hunter looked at his attire and realized that they were right. Even back in Yharnam, this attire indicated that he was a hunter. Hunter looked at the people in the room, nodded his head, and exited the room.

* * *

 **Two minutes later…**

When he came back into the room, he had changed his attire. He was wearing a white shirt under a brown vest, black trousers, and black shoes. For accessories, he wore a cape and a black hood. There were also two belts hanging from his vest.

Weiss took a look at Hunter's current attire. Then, she looked at Neptune's attire. She nodded her head with a satisfied smile.

"Alright. These clothes could work." Declared Weiss.

"Hey, Hunter? Why don't you wear this attire more often? They're better and more…low-profile than your usual attire." Asked Yang.

"This is the attire that I wore when I went to Yharnam. It…has sentimental value and I don't like getting it damaged." Replied Hunter.

"Well, too bad then."

* * *

 **Several hours later…**

 **Vale**

Hunter was currently observing a warehouse. Compared to other warehouses in the sector, there was nothing special about this one. However, look can be deceiving. At this very warehouse, the White Fang was recruiting faunus for their causes.

As he observed the warehouse, Hunter was also looking for more information about the White Fang, trying to figured out how he should handle them.

Seeing that there was no sign of anything goes wrong, Hunter read the history of White Fang in his scroll. At first, it was initially a peaceful activist organization created to improve relations between Humans and Faunus and improve the civil rights of the latter.

" _A noble cause. Sadly abandoned._ " Commented Hunter as he looked at the next part.

However, in the face of continued discrimination and a change in leadership, the White Fang began to adopt more and more radical methods, eventually becoming a violent terrorist organization that has earned much notoriety in the world.

Reading that, and then adding the list of crimes of the organization given by Weiss and Sun's comment about them, Hunter knew that it was fine to put the White Fang in his "OK-to-kill" list.

Hunter sighed and shook his head as he read the results of White Fang's radical activities. Sure, it caused many humans to view faunus as equals. But it was out of fear rather than respect. Because of that, faunus need to always appeared to be able to strike if they are wronged. All it takes is a single time of looking weak for all those equality to evaporate.

On the other side, the White Fang's activities also caused them to alienated the more moderate faunus. The former also caused the latter harder times since their efforts can be blocked under the pretense of "preventing an act of terrorism."

Hunter stopped for a while and pinched the bridge of his nose. The situations in Remnant were so…complex. It wasn't like back in Yharnam where all he needed to do was hunt the beasts, the kin, and the Great Ones that set up shops there. It was very easy to know which one that must be killed and which to be left alone.

In here, in Remnant, he had to do a research on potential targets with the exception of the Creatures of Grimm. Even if he has to, the research on Grimm is merely to figure out their weaknesses. For others, like White Fang for example, the research was to make sure that they did deserve to be exterminated, just like the many beings that he head hunted.

Hunter's thought was interrupted when he heard a commotion coming from the warehouse. He checked the shotgun that Ruby bought for him, which he dubbed as Hunter Shotgun. Then, he drew Burial Blade in its curved sword form.

Suddenly, Hunter saw Blake and Sun jumped through a window. Then, not even five minutes later, a giant metal doll-thing ran through the wall of the warehouse and chased after them. He was about to follow them when he realized that there were still White Fang members inside the warehouse. He decided that it would be better if he stay behind and prevent enemy reinforcement from coming.

* * *

While the new recruits – and unfortunately some of experienced members – were panicking over the loss of light, Lynn Caramel silently looked at the breaker box to see whether there's something that he could do to fix it.

As he checked the box, he wondered how they managed to let two…

" _Spies! I'll just call them spies!_ " Thought Lynn.

Anyway, he was wondering how they managed to let two spies infiltrate the warehouse. Considering that they were also faunus, the answer wasn't that hard actually. Perhaps they were faunus that dislike White Fang's methods?

No, it's quite unlikely. Most faunus that dislike them were called moderates and there was a reason they were called that. Rival organization maybe? As far as he knew, White Fang was the only one who took the necessary…

 _BANG_

Lynn's thought was interrupted when he heard that gunshot. When he looked at the source, he saw a hooded figure with shotgun on one hand and a scythe on the other. That figure was standing at the hole that that human Torchwick created when he chased the spies with the Paladin.

"Who are you?!" Stated Lynn as he drew his gun. Other White Fang members soon followed.

He couldn't confirm whether the figure was a human or a faunus, due to not seeing his back and the hood covering his head. Lynn would soon realize that neither option was correct; the figure was…something else.

"Death." Stated the figure.

* * *

As soon as he said that, Hunter holstered Hunter Shotgun and swung Burial Blade, killing five White Fang members. Then, he grabbed a Molotov and threw it at the large group of faunus, causing panic amongst them.

As they were distracted by the fire, Hunter ran towards them and sliced his way through. Some fall where they stand while others merely being thrown away. The latter must've their auras activated to protect them.

One of the White Fang fighters managed to wounded him at his right arm. The faunus was unable to celebrate since Hunter immediately decapitated him. Then, another slashed him at his back. Hunter swept around and managed to impale him.

When a White Fang fighter tried to stab him in the gut, Hunter rolled to dodge the attack. He then grabbed the Hunter Shotgun and fired at the faunus. His opponent staggered and at the same time, lost his aura protection. Hunter immediately impaled the White Fang fighter at his chest. Just as fast as the impalement, he drew back his hand, causing the fighter to be propelled away from him as blood gushed from the hole in his chest.

Soon enough, Hunter was covered from head to toe in blood. Just like what often happened in Yharnam. Despite that, he couldn't help but feel rather bored by this fight. He slaughtered them left and right, like sheep. Shouldn't they be like…what's the term again? Buffed up version of huntsmen?

" _Wait, how could I miss that? The protectors of Remnant share same name with those demented crazies at Yharnam; huntsman. Well, at least for male._ " Thought Hunter.

Hunter soon realized that he had basically killed or wounded most of the White Fang members, leaving only less than a dozen of them and the recruits. While he did kill some recruits during the fight, especially with that Molotov cocktail, most of them were still alive. Alive but in fear.

As he slowly approached the White Fang fighters and new recruits, Hunter wondered what he should do with them. Letting them go was absolutely out of question; these people willingly come to a recruitment place of organization well-known for their radical activities. That means they were willing to hurt others, even fellow faunus, to attain their goals.

As such, there was only one option; kill all of them.

This was a field that was his forte; eradicating pests.

* * *

 **Supermarket, Vale**

Inside the market, Team RWBY bought four bottles of soda to hydrated their throats. While they managed to defeat Roman, it was still not without a challenge. Furthermore, he managed to escape with his new underling, a woman with parasol.

"Whew." Yang drank half of the content of her bottle in one gulp. "At least we end the mission with a _Yang_."

"Boo." Commented Ruby, not amused at the slightest.

"So, anyone find something helpful?" Asked Blake before drinking her soda. "For me, it appears that White Fang managed to acquire some Atlas military hardware."

"Well, that would be…problematic." Said Yang. "I visited my source and he has no idea what's in White Fang and Roman's minds."

"I managed to acquire the necessary files." Said Weiss as she showed her teammates her scroll.

"Well, I guess you can say that it's mission accomplished!" Said Ruby with excitement before she realized something. "Wait, where's Hunter?"

It was then the girls realized that just like Neptune and Sun, Hunter had also gone missing. And they knew that he wasn't with the other two guys since when Blake contacted Sun, he only said that he was with Neptune.

Ruby took out her scroll and tried to contact Hunter, worrying about his safety. After waiting for several minutes, she finally managed to make a contact with him. However, for some reason, there was no voice coming from her scroll. It was by then Ruby realized that Hunter might had no idea what to do next after accepting a call.

"Hello, Hunter?" Said Ruby.

" _Good night, Ruby._ " Replied Hunter from the scroll. " _Did…I do it correctly?_ "

"Huh? Oh, do you put your scroll at your ear and then speak?"

" _Yes. I have saw other people did this with their scrolls._ "

"Good. Keep doing that until the call end." Ruby then asked the question. "Where are you now, Hunter?"

" _On my way back to Beacon. No need to pick me up. I want to…enjoy the night scenery._ "

"Oh, OK. Say what did you do when Blake and Sun were chased by the Paladin?"

" _Paladin? Let me guess, some kind of giant metal doll-thing._ "

"Yeah…sort of." Ruby made a note to herself; try to make Hunter more familiar with modern stuffs.

" _I intended to follow them. But then I realized that someone had to stay behind and prevent White Fang from sending reinforcement._ "

"Wait, you fought with them? Aren't there a lot of people there?" Ruby started to become worried.

" _Not my first time being outnumbered. None of them as skilled as some of the opponents in my past._ "

"Oh. Whew." Ruby then remembered something. "Can we meet up tomorrow during the lunch time?"

" _I will see what I can do._ "

"Great. Oh, and good night, Hunter."

" _Good night, Ruby._ "

Ruby cut the contact and put her scroll back. After delivering the news that Hunter was fine, Team RWBY soon went back to Beacon, wanting nothing more than to have a nice, sweet sleep.

* * *

 **The next day…**

 **Mess Hall, Beacon Academy**

During lunch time, Team RWBY, JNPR, and Hunter were sitting at the same table. Unlike the previous days, Hunter was wearing a Beacon male uniform to blend in with the other students. The difference was that he added a black hood, not unlike Ruby with her red hooded cloak.

"Soup and bread. Soup and bread. Are those the only things that you eat?" Asked Ruby with an incredulous tone.

"There are times when I ate stew instead of soup. There's also that time when I tried steak. I also add vegetables and fruits for my meals." Replied Hunter who didn't divert his attention from his meals.

"Ugh. That's not what I mean! Can you please be varied with your food?!"

"I already do that. And I am not taking an advice from someone who neglected valuable information of experienced hunter."

"Valuable information? From Professor Port?" Said Nora with disbelief, as if Hunter had just said that the sky is green.

"Indeed. Some of his feats could be useful against the Grimm. Maybe even more so in desperate situation."

"Oh, please. Prof. Port's stories are exaggeration. None of them makes any sense." Stated Weiss.

" _If only you know half the thing that I saw._ " Thought Hunter.

Their lunch was interrupted when Pyrrha let out surprised yelp. She then realized that other people at the table were staring at her due to that.

"S-Sorry." Said Pyrrha rather embarrassed.

"Is there something wrong, Pyrrha?" Asked Jaune.

"Oh, nothing's wrong. Just being surprised by today's news." Pyrrha showed them the news that she saw.

 _ **Massacre at Abandoned Warehouse**_

 _ **All Victims Identified to be Faunus. Possible White Fang Relations**_

Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang's eyes became as wide as saucer. Though not because of being shocked. At least, not the main reason. The reason was because they recognized that warehouse as the recruitment place of White Fang. And considering what happened last night…

Team RWBY slowly but surely started to stare at the possible murderer besides them, who at this point still focusing on his lunch. Hunter then realized that he was being stared and looked back at the team.

"Is there something wrong?" Asked Hunter.

* * *

 **10 minutes later…**

 **RWBY's Room, Beacon Academy**

Hunter had no idea how they managed to do that. Still, he was impressed that the huntresses-in-training managed to get him into their room. At least he managed to take his apple with him.

As he chewed on his apple, Ruby seemed to be trying to find something in her scroll. After a while, she showed the news that Pyrrha saw to him. Seeing no reaction from Hunter, Ruby decided to start it herself.

"Do you have something to explain, Hunter?" Asked Ruby.

"No." Said Hunter who didn't stop chewing the apple.

"Did you kill these people?" Asked Blake with a dangerous hint on her voice.

"Yes."

Team RWBY was taken aback by how easily Hunter admitted his action. There was also the tone in how he said it; as if he was describing the weather.

"Y…Y…You WHAT?!" Exclaimed Blake.

"Did I do something wrong?" Hunter's question pushed the team to an edge as he had the guts to be confused.

"You. Killed. Them." Said Yang with emphasis. "Ring any bell?"

Hunter once again looked confused. He then said, "No."

Ruby was about to say something when she stopped and remembered something. One of Hunter's mentors was Eileen the Crow, the Hunter of Hunters. According to him, her task was to slay corrupt hunters who have strayed from their paths. That could mean…

"Hunter." Ruby said it with a hint of fear. "Have you…killed people before?"

This time, Hunter stopped eating his apple and actually paused. Ruby could see that he tightened his grip on the apple. He finally relaxed and let out a sigh.

"Yes, I have killed people before." Said Hunter. There was a hint of regret in it.

The huntresses-in-training stopped for a moment upon hearing that. However, they still wanted to know why Hunter decided to massacre the White Fang members in the warehouse.

"Why do you decide to kill those White Fang? I don't like White Fang in the slightest, but I do not wish for them to be…massacred like sheep." Asked Weiss rather uncomfortable.

Hunter remained silent for a while. He approached a table inside the room and put his apple on it. It was only then that he began to speak.

"When I was in Yharnam, the beasts were not my only enemies. There were also…rogue hunters…and the Yharnamites themselves. The Yharnamites are some of the most xenophobic people that I've ever met. They believed that the outsiders were the ones who brought the plague into their city and thus hunted them with the ferocity. I, as you know, was and still an outsider." Explained Hunter.

"How' that related to this massacre?" Asked Blake.

"For I only kill people – humans and faunus alike – for two reasons; either self-defense or if they're threats to…society." Hunter walked for a moment and looked outside of the window. "White Fang is the latter case."

"That doesn't mean you can just kill them!" Blake furiously closed her distance with Hunter. "Those who joined White Fang are misguided! They do not deserve to be killed, being left in their pool of blood! They've been persecuted for their entire lives and all they want is to have the same standing as humans are!"

"Being persecuted does not excuse hurting those who do not persecute you." Hunter let out a sigh. "I am a…what do you call it…? A realist, Miss Belladonna. I can understand hitting back those who hit you. But White Fang has gone beyond that. It's an eye for an eye, not an eye and ear for an eye."

Before Blake could say anything, Yang put her hand on her partner's shoulder. When the cat faunus turned her head to look at the brawler, the latter shook her head. Yang then took a step forwards towards Hunter.

"While I can guess what you mean by the 'an eye for an eye' stuff, what you did is still not right. You should capture them, hand them over to the authority. Not becoming their judge, jury, and executioner." Stated Yang.

"I never claimed to have the moral superiority, Miss Long."

"It's…Xiao Long. But I don't exactly like formality, so just call me Yang."

"Very well, Yang." Hunter seemed to have a solemn mood after saying that. "Hunters' tasks have little space for morals. Hunters' tasks are not to make the world a better place. It's always to salvage the situation. It's always to cut the branches to save the whole tree."

Silence fell onto the room after hearing what Hunter had just said. Ruby nervously approached Hunter and trying to change his mind.

"T…That's not true. I…I am sure you make the world a better place. After all, that's what huntsmen and huntresses do." Said Ruby, trying to encourage Hunter.

He didn't give his response. Hunter looked at Ruby's face and it brought a terrible memory.

" _Who…are you? I don't know your voice, but I know that smell… Are you a hunter? Then please, will you look for my mum? Daddy never came back from the hunt and she went to find him, but now she's gone too I'm afraid. I'm all alone, and scared._ "

" _Really? Oh, thank you! My m-mum wears a red jeweled brooch. It's so big and…and beautiful. You won't miss it. Oh, I mustn't forget... If you find my mum, give her this music box. It plays one of daddy's favorite songs. And when daddy forgets us, we play it for him so he remembers. Mum's so silly, running off without it!_ "

" _Mister hunter? Was it really her? Mummy…mummy… Don't leave me alone… Mum… Come home… I'm alone… I'm scared… It's not fair._ "

" _Mum, come home... I'm alone... I'm scared... It's not fair..._ "

As he remained silent, Ruby walked closer towards Hunter. To her surprise, she saw a single drop of tear slowly dripping on his cheek. Then, he finally spoke.

"I am not a hero like the huntsmen and huntresses that you admire, Ruby. I never would be."

Hunter then walked towards the door. Weiss intended to stop him, but Ruby gave a sign to not to. Hunter opened the door, walked outside, and then closed it.

* * *

 **Hunter's Dream**

At one of the tombstones, the Doll was currently praying to one of the past hunters. After finishing her pray, she stood up and walked towards her usual spot. When she arrived, she saw that Hunter was lying near the spot, looking at the Moon.

"Good Hunter, do you require my assistance?" Asked the Doll.

"I do not require your assistance at the moment, Doll." Replied Hunter before he let out a breath. "Just…a time of solitude for myself."

"I understand, Good Hunter."

The Doll went towards her spot and stayed there, letting Hunter observed the Moon without interruption.

"Hunters…we aren't heroes, aren't we? The things that we have done…the things that we have sacrificed…to protect them from the beast…to protect them from the Great Ones…nothing that we've ever done, makes us heroes, right?" Said Hunter to no one.

"No, we are not."

Surprised by the response, Hunter sat up and saw that Gehrman was not far away from him. It was quite unusual, for the First Hunter to went outside of his workshop.

"Hunters are not knights in shining armor, go from village to village, saving the villagers from vile threats, celebrated as heroes." Stated Gehrman. "We kill the beasts. We clean up the messes, not help people. For when we do that…well, you have your own experience."

"You seem to care more about me these days, Old Man." Said Hunter.

"Good Hunter, you're going to spend your life in Hunter's Dream until your task is complete. It will be longer than during the Hunt in Yharnam. Perhaps…even eternity."

Hunter looked at the Moon for another minute before standing up. He went towards a tombstone and was about to touch it when he heard his mentor speaking again.

"A little bit of…encouragement, Good Hunter. Hunters do not help people…but it's not wrong to say that the side effects of our tasks do."

Hunter had stopped his hand, thought he remained silence. After a while, he touched the tombstone, sending him to his destination.

* * *

 **Answers to some reviews:**

 **ecoolasice:** Not really on the last part. Hunter accepted the offer but he is…quite independent, to say the least. He's not an official student and only joined classes that he thinks would be helpful (and the ones that teach topics that he likes).

 **Guest:** And you, sir, are a fool to think that's what I do.

* * *

 **And the chapter is done.**

 **If you have question or suggestion, feel free to tell me!**

 **Review please!**


	5. Beast of Knowledge

**Beast of Knowledge**

 **RWBY's Room, Beacon Academy**

"Team RWBY, meeting time!" Declared Ruby.

Soon after that, the team…well, they still remained at where they were. However, their focus was now at each other.

"So…what should we do with Hunter and the…revelations that we received?" Asked Ruby unsure.

"Well, calling the police is obviously out of question." Said Weiss. "Also, maybe we should also keep our mouths closed with the teachers as well."

"Whoa." Yang was surprised by what she had just heard. "Who are you and what you've done to Ice Queen?"

"Don't call me that." Despite being angry, Weiss' voice didn't indicate it. "After the heated debate between Blake and I about White Fang, I decided to be more…open-minded. Anyway, his action makes sense if you think about it."

"What do you mean?" Asked Blake.

"Remember when he told us that one of his mentors' job is to slay corrupt hunters? _Slay_. Which means he was being taught how to take the lives of corrupt hunters and was convinced that it was the right thing to do."

"B-But how does someone believe that it's OK to take the lives of others?" Asked Ruby.

"It's quite simple, actually." Stated Blake. "Ruby, if I ask you to kill a rabbit just for the sake of it, would you do it?"

"Of course not! Why would I want to kill a cute little rabbit?!"

"Alright. Now, would you do the same if this time, the target is Grimm-shaped rabbit?"

"Well, I would kill it of course. After all, it's…" Realization dawned on Ruby. "Oh…. OOOOH!"

"Indeed. For Hunter, normal people are…well, normal. Corrupt hunters and looks like White Fang members as well are – for him – Grimm-shaped humans."

"Well, I guess I can…see why." Ruby slammed the pillow on her bed. "But what he was doing is still not right!"

"And no one is saying that he is. If we want to change him though, we need to know the core of the problems." Replied Yang.

"Alright. So, the core of the problems is that he believed that it's alright to take the lives of other people if they're bad people." Stated Ruby before she scratched her head. "So…what do we do?"

"Obviously, we need to convince him that there are better ways than killing." Said Blake before she sighed. "Which is easier said than done."

"Umm…"

"Ruby, if we put morality aside and look at practicality, killing is a better option. You kill bad people and…it's done. You take care of the problem. Handing them to the authority is more…complex. You need to keep the bad people alive, making sure they don't escape when you bring them to the authority and also when they're in the prison. There's also the possibility of them being acquitted during the trials."

The room became silent for several moments as Team RWBY digested everything that had been said to this point.

"Well, that's going to take a long time, I guess. Looks like we're going to need to tolerate a murder or two." Said Yang.

"Yang!" Exclaimed Ruby who then stared at her sister, followed by Weiss and Blake.

"Augh! That came out wrong!" Yang sat up from her bed. "What I mean is that we have to tolerate it considering the massacre at the warehouse! We can't be with him all the time, so there will be time when we can't prevent him from killing someone."

"Yep! That's a better way of putting it!" Stated Weiss. "It could take months or even years to change someone stance. Until then, the only thing we can do is prevent and tolerate."

"Alright. In that case, it was settled; Team RWBY, our new task is to help Hunter to become a better person! Who's with me?" Said Ruby out loud.

Her teammates immediately raised their hands. Sure, it would be a hard task and might diverted their attention from Roman Torchwick and the White Fang. However, if there was one thing Team RWBY would never do was to leave a friend of them in the dark.

* * *

 **Beacon Cliff**

Hunter was currently standing at a launching pad. The same pad used to launch the initiates of Beacon Academy into Emerald Forest. In his hand was his scroll with the screen showing "Press the Button" words and a red button. He was about to pressed it when a voice distracted him.

"Hunter, what are you doing?"

Hunter turned his head towards the source of the voice and saw Ruby approaching him. She looked curiously at his scroll and the launching pad.

"I am going to the Emerald Forest. For hunting." Said Hunter simply.

When she heard that, idea was soon formed in Ruby's mind. If she hunted together with Hunter, it might could help in strengthening their relationship. With their relationship becomes stronger, it could help in convincing Hunter to change his stance.

"Can I join in?" Asked Ruby.

"Sure. I am sure there will be enough Grimm for both of us." Replied Hunter. "Speaking of which, where's the rest of your team?"

"Oh, Weiss is waiting for a package from Atlas. Probably Dust for Myrtenaster. Blake is reading in the library. And Yang is having fun with some of her old friends at Signal." Explained Ruby. "By the way, Signal is an academy at Patch. Quite similar to Beacon, only for younger people."

"I see." Hunter looked at Ruby, who was still standing at where she was. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"Oh, right." Ruby walked towards one of the launching pad.

Not even a minute later, both of them were launched towards the Emerald Forest.

* * *

 **Ozpin's Office, Beacon Academy**

Inside his office, Ozpin was watching from the camera on Hunter and Ruby launching themselves from the cliff and headed towards the Emerald Forest. He let out a laugh and decided to take a look at the forest, wanting to see what kind of challenge that they would face.

For several minutes, he looked at the scenes taken by the cameras in the forest. He started to become worried; there was no Grimm in sight. While this was usually a good sign, not so much with the Emerald Forest since not only it was one of the relatively safe places where Beacon students could hone their skills in fighting Grimm, it was also never devoid of Grimm. The lack of them greatly worried Ozpin.

Then, he saw a Grimm at one of the cameras. However, it only recorded it for two seconds. Ozpin decided to rewind the recording and slowed it down. What he saw caused him to drop his coffee mug. He immediately sent a message to all professors in the Beacon alongside the recording. The reactions were immediate.

" _My gods…How?!_ " – Glynda Goodwitch

" _Those clever girls are at Emerald Forest?!_ " - Peter Port

" _Ozpin, please tell me there isn't any student at the forest._ " – Bartholomew Oobleck

Ozpin stood up from his chair and ran towards the elevator. As the elevator transported him to the first floor, he couldn't help but thinking about the reason.

The reason why there were Raptors at Emerald Forest.

* * *

 **Emerald Forest**

When both of them landed and took out their weapons, Ruby laughed at what Hunter had in his hands. When he asked why, she said that he was carrying an oversized pizza cutter. He retaliated by saying that if Whirligig Saw was an oversized pizza cutter, then Crescent Rose was an oversized grass cutter. She then stated that it was also a gun.

Anyway, for several minutes, Hunter and Ruby has been traveling around the forest. However, they had yet see any sign of animals, let alone Grimm. Since Grimm and animals only fought each other over territorial dispute rather than eating each other for food, the lack of either animal or Grimm was disturbing.

"Does in this season the number of Grimm diminished?" Asked Hunter.

"Well, there are times when the Grimm population is lower than usual. But never to the point like this." Replied Ruby.

"You're right. I give them a bait and none of them even approached."

"What bait?"

"I am currently thinking of some bad memories. Said memories make me create negative emotions. I am sure you can solve the rest."

"But…you look calm."

"With training, you can hide your anger, sadness, despair, and more."

Their conversation was interrupted when they heard a sound of something disturbing a nearby shrub. Upon hearing that, they immediately went towards the shrub. When they were there, none of them found any clue of what caused the disturbance. When Hunter looked down, he saw a footprint. From its appearance, the owner of the footprint had at least three fingers in his feet.

"Do you know any kind of animal or Grimm that might leave this kind of footprint?" Asked Hunter.

"Nope. I don't know any type of animal that leave this kind of footprint." Replied Ruby as she shook her head.

"Anyway, we should follow it. We might find be able to find the Grimm."

Hunter and Ruby walked towards where the owner of footprint went to. They soon found more footprints. Then they found several tree branches that were broken. Seeing that they were in the right direction, both of them increased their pace.

However, after walking for few minutes following the traces, the ground beneath them sank.

"Shit!"

"AAAAHHH!"

Ruby and Hunter sank alongside the ground. Near the hole, two Creatures of Grimm approached the hole. After looking through it for a while, they immediately moved away from it.

* * *

At the edge of the forest, several bullheads landed the professors of the Beacon Academy. Others landed the robots and personnel of Atlas military.

"This… This is going to be difficult, Ozpin." Stated Port who readied his Blunderbuss.

"Indeed." Replied Ozpin, more serious than usual. "Raptor, one of the most dangerous type of Grimm that have ever exist. Known for their human-like intelligence, Raptors are capable of killing full-fledged huntsman or huntress without either large numbers or massive body."

"Correct. Which means we need to sweep the forest carefully. One wrong move could be the signature of our death warrant." Stated Oobleck. "I hope that Mr. Hunter and Ms. Rose could survive until we arrive."

Ozpin's face moved a little upon hearing that. Shortly thereafter, the professors and the Atlas robots entered the forest.

* * *

When they finally stopped sinking, Hunter and Ruby landed on a solid rock surface.

"Umph!"

"OOW!"

Both of them immediately stood up and brushed off the dust on their outfits.

"W…Where are we?" Asked Ruby.

Hunter looked at the hole leading towards where they were before. They fell quite far; it would be impossible to climb through the same route. He then looked at the surrounding area.

"It seems that we're inside some kind of cave." Said Hunter before looking at the hole again. "It's a trap."

"A trap? Who would build a trap in the Emerald Forest?" Said Ruby confused.

"The Grimm, of course. Who else?"

"Grimm? Come on, now, Hunter. There's no way a Grimm is smart enough to make a trap." Ruby felt the entire idea was ludicrous.

"Whatever you say. In any case, we need to find a way out of here."

With that, Hunter and Ruby began to travel through the cave. When they reached the part where the light was very weak, Hunter used the mace mode of the Whirligig Saw, attached hand lanterns on both his and Ruby's belt, and ignited a torch.

"Seriously, how all those stuffs fir in your…outfit?" Asked Ruby.

"Magic." Replied Hunter simply, causing Ruby to rolled her eyes.

Both of them were only walking for few minutes when they heard a sound of something. None of them recognized the sound, though they knew that it was created by some kind of…bird? Reptile? Combination of both?

When they tried to find the source, Ruby saw what appeared to be red eyes of Grimm. She shot at where the eyes were, though it immediately avoided her shot. She shot several times but none of them hit, considering that there wasn't any other voice besides gunshot voices.

"Stop!" Stated Hunter. "You will only waste bullet."

Ruby immediately stopped firing. Soon after that, more red eyes were appearing. Hunter and Ruby prepared their respective weapons for the inevitable fight. They didn't move, waiting for the Grimm to take the first move. However, for some reason, the Grimm didn't make a move towards them.

Hunter was about to think the reason when he heard the sound of a pebbles being disturbed behind him. It was by then that he realized something; both Ruby and him were so focused on the Grimm in front of them that none of them checked their _rear_.

Before Hunter could even turn his head to look at his back, the Grimm struck.

* * *

 **Hunter's Dream**

The Doll was playing with the Messengers when she noticed that he was coming. She brushed off the dust on her outfit before walking towards where he was. When she reached him, the Doll saw Hunter was trying to stood up.

"Welcome back, Good Hunter." Said the Doll as she offered her hand. "If you don't mind, what caused it this time?"

"An old trick; being ambushed from the back." Replied Hunter as he accepted the Doll's hand.

When Hunter finally stood up, both him and the Doll walked towards the workshop. As they walked, Hunter couldn't help but let out a sigh; he basically fell into one of the oldest tricks in history. Then again, considering it was not uncommon for other people to fall into the same trick, it might be not that much of a blunder.

In any case, he wasn't in a hurry in returning to the waking world. The last thing that he saw before he died was the arrival of the Beacon professors.

He needed to time his arrival correctly. He was dragged by those Grimm in his "last" minutes, so while he saw the professors, they didn't see him. Which means that if he timed it correctly, he could claim of managing to escape from the cave, then escaping from the Emerald Forest before encountering a village.

" _Wait, is there a village near Emerald Forest?_ " Thought Hunter when he realized that he didn't know much about the geography of Vale.

He let out a sigh as he knew that the solution wouldn't be a simple one.

* * *

 **The next day…**

 **Infirmary, Beacon Academy**

Lying on one of the beds was none other than Ruby Rose. The professors managed to rescue her from the Raptors. However, she was heavily wounded and had to receive a surgery. After that, she hadn't regained her consciousness.

Besides the bed were her teammates, Weiss, Blake, and Yang. Ruby's sister was looking at her with eyes full of worry. Tears could be seen to be constantly gathering in her eyes. Yang didn't want to lose another member of her family.

"Yang, it's OK." Said Blake. "Ruby's stable. All we need to do now is to wait for her to wake up."

"I know. But I just can't help it. Last time I am doing something like these…"

Whatever Yang wanted to say, she didn't finish it. Weiss and Blake decided to change the uncomfortable topic with something else.

"By the way, I heard that the school quarantined the Emerald Forest with the help of Atlas military. All of that just for some new Grimm?" Said Weiss. "I mean, I know they managed to hurt Ruby and caused Hunter to go MIA, but still…"

"Those Grimm are not ordinary Grimm, but rather Raptors." Explained Blake. "They share the same name with the dinosaur because of similarities in physical appearance. All recorded encounters with them always end up with casualties."

"I see. That could explain it." Weiss let out a sigh. "No wonder Professor Port called them 'clever girls' rather than the usual 'preys.'"

"Mmhh…"

"RUBY!"

The girls turned their attention to Yang, who was shouting because of Ruby finally waking up. The blonde wanted to hug her sister, but she was afraid that she might made the wound worse.

"W…Where…am I…?" Asked Ruby.

"In the Beacon's infirmary, Rubes." Explained Yang softly. "You're alright?"

"Y…Yes…" Ruby looked around as much as she could. "Where is…Hunter…?"

Her teammates' hearts soon dropped. They looked at each other uncomfortable. Finally, Blake decided that she would be the one who told Ruby the bad news.

"When the professors rescued you, they didn't see any sign of him. They were searching the place but couldn't find even his weapon. As such, Hunter has been declared to be MIA."

Ruby didn't say anything in response. However, it was clear to all of them that she was trying to hold her tears. In the end, it failed and tears started to fell from her eyes.

* * *

 **Ozpin's Office, Beacon Academy**

At the office, Ozpin was having a meeting Glynda and Ironwood. What happened yesterday in the Emerald Forest was not something that need to be discussed.

"Don't you think we should contact Qrow as well?" Suggested Glynda. "His niece is one of the victims, after all."

"I don't think it's a good idea. Last time I check, he was heading towards part of Vacuo that's even more lawless than usual. I don't want to accidentally send the message in the wrong time or compromise his mission." Explained Ozpin.

"Then we should immediately start the meeting." Stated Ironwood. "One thing for sure is that Raptors shouldn't be nowhere close to Emerald Forest. Any idea what might caused them to appear there?"

"I think I know why." Said Ozpin. "Recently, I managed to…acquire a 'partnership' with the Ancient Huntsman."

"Ancient Huntsman? You mean the travelling huntsman who hunted Grimm left and right, at all four kingdoms, and seemingly without rest? That Ancient Huntsman?" Asked Ironwood.

"Indeed." It was Glynda who answered the question.

"Well, that's another thing that you don't tell me. Then again, I don't exactly pay attention to him. So, I can let this one slide." Stated Ironwood. "Which actually put your theory in question; why _she_ wouldgoes as far as sending Raptors to kill the Huntsman?"

"If that's the case, James, then I have no idea." Said Ozpin as he took a sip from his mug.

"To be honest, the Huntsman doesn't tell us everything about his identity, pass, and other things. What he told us might even be half lie." Said Glynda.

"Hmm…" Ironwood put his hand under his chin. "Well, considering his status, I don't think we can ask him what might make him interesting for _her_."

Ozpin turned his chair and looked at the scenery outside of his office. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling that something big – even bigger than what they were dealing with – was coming.

* * *

 **Night…**

 **Somewhere in Vale...**

At the forest, a huntsman was dragging himself away from danger. He has been heavily wounded and was now trying to escape. That action was futile however since an axe fell on his head.

The axe was pulled by another huntsman. He then looked around the scenery near him; dead bodies of his former colleagues scattered around the field. Many of them were killed by the strange Alpha Beowolf that they hunted. Said Beowolf was now lying dead.

The rest were killed by none other than the huntsman.

The huntsman inspected the bite wound caused by the Beowolf. After that, he raised his axe and struck the recently-dead huntsman. Blood sprayed everywhere, including into him. When it happened, he could feel a sense of euphoria.

Once again, he lifted the axe and swung it down, spraying the blood that gave him such a wonderful sensation.

* * *

 **And this chapter is done.**

 **If you have question or suggestion, feel free to tell me.**

 **Review please!**


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